CFA Member of the Month: Anne Thompson

This August, we are proud to present Anne Thompson as our member of the month.

"Anne has not missed a morning and her numbers have been going up on her lifts in the last few months. She's an awesome athlete and very inspiring to the other members," said Coach Sinan.

We had a chance to chat with Anne more about her background, how she discovered CrossFit and her disdain for condiments.

Question: How did you first hear about CrossFit and what did you initially think of it before trying it?

Answer: I was trying to find a present for my husband, Coach Steve, who owns all the fitness equipment ever invented. I saw something online about a CrossFit certification class, so I signed him up. He came back raving about it, so we enrolled at CrossFit Morristown. I was pretty intimated by CrossFit. Everyone seemed so fit and so young. The first time I was supposed to walk into the box, I walked around the block instead.

Q: What is your favorite WOD or exercise within the range of CF activities and why? What is your least favorite?

A: I like a WOD that has an overhead component—particularly push press or overhead walking lunges. I also like chippers so I like the Filthy Fifty—once you finish an exercise it’s done. You can cross it off for the day. Team and partners WODs are pretty cool too. What I don’t like? WODS with pull-ups. So that is almost everyone of the benchmark Girl WODS. Sorry, girls.

A: CrossFit makes me a happier person. I go to the 8:30 class, so I start my day off with a great workout, and I’m energized by the competition and the camaraderie. This is really important because I often spend the day alone in my office, which can get dull and a little lonely. And of course, CrossFit has made me so much fitter. I had no upper body strength at all before I started, and because of that, I used to hate the Olympic lifting. Now, it’s my favorite part of the day.

I used to hate Olympic lifting. Now, it’s my favorite part of the day.

Q: Where did you grow up? What's your athletic/workout background? What you do for a living?

A: I grew up on Staten Island, although I always want to make up a more exotic and less maligned hometown. I ran cross country, winter and spring track in high school, and again at Williams College. After college I went to Duke Law School, where I majored in sitting by the pool and attending basketball games. As a result, I had a lot of time on my hands, and decided to start running marathons. In my first marathon I had a great 20 miles—but unfortunately the race is 26.2 miles. I ultimately did two more, all in a time of about 3 hours and 30 minutes, but then my knees were shot. After that I followed the traditional arc of the long-distance runner, moved on to road races and ultimately triathlons. Once I started CrossFit I lost all interest in racing. Now I can compete every day.

As you might imagine, my career in law didn’t take. I practiced for 6 years, and hated every minute of it. On my birthday one year I just walked in and quit. I started working for non-profits serving inner city kids in NYC, and loved it. Now I have a business based in Madison that provides grant-writing and program evaluation services to non-profits and school districts in NJ and NY. I live in Chatham with Coach Steve, our 16-year-old son, the mysterious and elusive Luke, 14-year-old twins Christine and Cat, Fenway the dog, and an embarrassing number of cats.

Q: What do you like most about CrossFit Annex?

A: This is an easy one. What I like best about it is the people. I’ve made great friends at the Box, and hang out with a lot of them outside the gym. Even the people I don’t know well are always very friendly and highly supportive. Also, the women at the Annex have had a great effect on my girls. They like working out and having muscles. They never say “I want to be skinny," they say “I want to be strong.” They think Cherise is the coolest person in the world.

Q: What are some things about yourself that people might not know about you?

A: I studied for a year at Oxford University, where I was also a bartender, and have traveled throughout Bhutan and Namibia. Also, I abhor condiments, hot drinks, and food in the form of a liquid.

Q; What are your hobbies outside of the box?

A: Driving my children around.

Q:What are your personal future goals in CrossFit?

A: This year I really enjoyed watching the Annex athletes compete in the CrossFit Open workouts on Friday nights. Next year I would like to enter the competition, and try to complete all the workouts in the scaled division. I’m really interested to see how I would compare to others who are about my age. Also, I would like to complete at least two double unders in a row.